Material gripping and feeding device



1957 J. G. PE'CK MATERIAL GRIPPING AND FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 12, 1954 FIG. I.

IN VEN TOR. g PECK JOSEPH TTORNEY MATERIAL GRIPPING AND FEEDING DEVICE Joseph G. Peck, Karlin, Mich.

Application July 12, 1954, Serial. No. 442,570

2 Claims. (Cl. 118-108) The present invention relates to a novel and very ractical and useful material gripping and feeding device which is particularly useful in feeding metallic ribbon or strip stock to a machine which processes it, an example of which is a punch-press, in which the ribbon stock, periodically or intermittently moved and fed to the press, is acted upon by dies and the like to provide stamped shapes or forms in accordance with the dies which are used.

The ribbon stock material in general comes wound in.

rolls and the outer free end portion of the stock is fed to the processing machine such as a punch press, the operator grasping the material and pulling it from the roll or a reel upon which it is mounted and forcing it to proper position in the press, ordinarily against stops provided for locating purposes. The ribbon stock is cut or severed from wider sheets of the material and is also subject to the uncertainties of transportation, being liable tobe damaged and upset at its edges. Such edges frequently are sharp and cutting. The workman who feeds the material to the press, even when his hands are protected by gloves and bandages is frequently subjected to injury such as cuts on the hands which many times reach the hand by penetration through gloves, or bandages. The gloves used are of very short life, being quickly damaged by being cut and otherwise injured so that they have to be shortly discarded.

With my invention a simple, very practical and useful ite tates at O device mounted upon the material which is to be fed is provided which, through hand operation, may upon operation in one direction grip the material for feeding to the processing machine, the material and the gripping and feeding device which I have invented moving together, while operation in the opposite direction frees the device from the material so that it may be moved back upon the material before reversing its operation for the next cycle of feeding to the machine. It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a useful, sturdy and durable and effective gripping and feeding device by the use of which the hands of the operator are at all times away from the material and its cutting edges. Not only is injury to the operator insured against but the feeding is easier and far less tiresome than the previously used hand feeding.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is an elevation illustrating more or less diagrammatically the manner in which the gripping and feeding device of my invention is used in operation.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, enlarged over that shown in Fig. l, of the gripping and feeding device of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation looking at Fig. 2 from the left.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section substantially on the plane of line 44 of Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

Flat ribbon stock, indicated at 1, which may be wound in a roll or mounted for unwinding from a reel as shown at 2, is indicated in Fig. 1 as being carried at its outer free end portion to a processing machine at 3, which may represent a punch press.

The gripping and feeding device includes in its structure a horizontal bottom. plate 4 of rectangular outline above which, near one end, a shallow inverted U-shaped member or stirrup 5 is permanently secured, the upper horizontal portion of which is spaced at short distance above the base plate 4.

Adjacent the opposite end of the" plate 4 and at each side edge thereof a vertical ear 6 is permanently secured. Between the ears 6 a roller 7, preferably though not necessarily, having a knurled surface is eccentrically mounted on a rod 8 which extends between the ears 6 and lengthwise of the roller 7 above and to one side of its longitudinal central axis.

A handle 9, preferably of the general shape shown, at its lower end is permanently secured at the upper side of the roller 7 between the ends of the roller so that the roller 7 may be rocked back and forth about the rod 8. When rocked in one direction the roller is moved away from. the base plate 4 and when rocked inthe opposite direction is moved toward it.

The handle 9 has a generally centrally located axial passage 10 therethrough. Such passage 10 at its lower end is in conjunction with a passage 11 drilled or otherwise provided in the roller downwardly from its upper side and ending short of its lower side. It connects with a longitudinal horizontal passage 12 in the roller 7, both ends of which. passage are closed. From the horizontal pas sage downwardly extending branches 113, spaced apart from each other in the length of the roller, lead to the outer surface of the roller at its lower side.

At the end of the plate 4 opposite where the stirrup 5 is secured, a second similar stirrup 14 is permanently secured on and extends above the base plate 4. A wiping member 15 of felt or similar material is secured at the under side of the upper horizontal portion of the stirrup 14.

A flexible hose 16 at its lower end has a ball valve and housing 17 which may be inserted in the upper end of the handle 10, preferably in practice being detachably connected so as to be removable when desired. The ball 17 by gravity closes the upper end of the passage 10 through the handle. The flexible conduit 16 will lead upwardly to a receptacle or other container for lubricant which by gravity will move down the hose 16 until stopped by the ball 17. In the operation, with the handle rocked back and forth, the ball is momentarily unseated so as to permit the passage of a small quantity of lubricant through the passages 10, 11, 12 and 13 to the exterior of the roller 7. Such jump action of the valve 17, while limiting the flow of lubricant, permits some flow thereof to the exterior and lower portion of the roller 7.

In use with the ribbon stock 1 passed over the plate 4 underneath the stirrup 5 and under the roller 7 and thence underneath the wiper 15, with the stirrup 5 located nearest to the processing machine, for example, a punch press as at 3, on rocking the handle 9 to the forward position shown in Fig. l, or similarly to the position shown in Fig. 2, the roller 7 is brought into engagement with the upper side of the ribbon stock 1, gripping it between the roller and the upper side of the base plate 4. By continuing the pressure against the handle 9 in the same direction the stock 1 with the gripping and feeding device of my invention clamped thereto are moved together so as to feed the end portion of the stock 1 into the processing machine.

On a reverse movement of the handle 9 in the opposite direction, the roller 7 is lifted and is released from the described to thus automatically grip the material, whereby it will move with such gripping and feeding device toward 7 the processing machine.

' In--the return movement of the gripping and feeding device'along the stock 1 the wiping material 15 engaging against the upper surface of the stock 1 wipes dust, dirt and the like from it; The momentary release and downward flow of a limited quantity of the lubricant, caused by the jump displacement of the valve 17 when the handle is operated, furnishes lubricant which passes from the several passages 13 to the upper side of the stock material 1, oiling it and placing it in the best condition for operation'thereon by dies and the like in a punch press.

. ,The structure has proven very practical and useful. It relieves the Workman, the moving and feeding of the stock being obtained more easily, and saves the workman from cuts and other injuries to the hands which have been so frequent heretofore. The width of the different bases 4 and lengths of the rollers 7 and also of the stirrups and 14 are subject to Wide variation in accordance with the Width of the metal stock material 1 which is gripped and fed thereby. In practice, narrow strips not over onehalf inch in width can be fed and also much wider strips equaling a foot and sometimes more in Width. The gripping and feeding device operates automatically upon the manual operation of the handle alternately in opposite directions.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A gripping and feeding device comprising, a plate having generally parallel side edges, a roller located above and transversely of said plate adjacent one end thereof,

means for mounting said roller to rock about a horizontal axis parallel to and spaced from the longitudinal axis of said roller, a transverse member located above and substantially at the end of the plate adjacent which the roller is positioned, means securing said member to the plate, wiping means connected to and at the under side of said member, and a handle connected to said roller for manual rocking thereof, in either direction to selectively move the roller toward or away from said plate.

2. A gripping and feeding device for flat, metallic ribbon stock comprising, a flat horizontal plate, a gripping roller located above and transversely of said plate, means for mounting said roller. on said plate for limited turning movement about a horizontal axis, said axis being located with respect to the roller so that turning movement in one direction moves the lower surface of said roller away from the upper surface of said plate and in the other direction toward said plate surface, a handle, having a longitudinal passage therethrough to the roller secured to and extending upwardly from said roller, said roller having a passage in conjunction with the lower end of said handle passage, and also having a plurality of spaced branch passages from the first mentioned passage therein leading to the lower portion of the surface of the roller, and means for supplying lubricant for delivery to the upper end of said passage in the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,855 Lynah Mar. 31, 1914 1,263,535 Smith Apr. 23, 1918 2,062,643 Edmunds Dec. 1, 1936 2,388,423 Langdon Nov. 6, 1945 2,441,642 McDaniel May 18, 1948 

